Glad to see you're here! Take a seat, read a bit, be sure to comment!! This is just a little peek into the life of a mommy of 2 in South Florida - trying to manage family, work and cancer and keep my attitude in check. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

WHAT??!!??

I am sitting here watching Oprah. I am flabbergasted!! She has this family of hoarders (husband and wife) on the show and they were living surrounded by clutter - SEVENTY FIVE TONS OF CLUTTER! They had black mold growing throughout the house, 70% of their furniture was destroyed by mold, windows had to be replaced, drywall ripped out, rat nests, etc.

They filled up a 10,000 sqft warehouse to sell the stuff she had hoarded.

Okay, so first of all, yes, I feel bad for these people. I feel bad that they have this obsessive compulsive disorder. BUT come on!! Oprah and GE and Broyhill, and others furnished their house, re-did the kitchen, new flooring by Lowe's!! What about those of us (you and I) who are daily keeping up, or trying to keep up with our housework?

Can Oprah and Lowe's please come replace my flooring? I've had two kids spill milk, juice, cereal on it. Never mind the fact that I've also had these same two kids PEE on said carpet during the potty training times. Am I rewarded for trying to keep the clutter OUT of my house? No. Instead, I have been paying MONTHLY to have my carpets cleaned because I cannot stand it being dirty. Although, you know what's going to happen? A few years from now, they'll find out I have mold in my house and it will be from my carpets not drying completely or something lame.

I'd even let them renovate my kitchen too. The nasty laminate cabinets and counters are beginning to warp. Maybe O can send Nate to my house??

I'm really not trying to be insensitive, but my other gripe about this show, is that this woman's core problems have not been dealt with. Yeah, she has a sweet, new pad. But she's not going through therapy to treat the underlying issues. Let's see the house in a year. I know, that makes me so negative, but come on, let's be realistic.

I've spent every day this week cleaning some aspect of my house and attempting to get organized. How hard is it, really, to throw out an old towel or pair of shoes that you don't use anymore? Maybe I have a different disorder. One that is the complete opposite of hoarding. I have a tendency to throw things out. If I haven't used it recently and don't foresee myself using it soon, I pitch it. Sometimes I regret it, but I have a great feeling when I look in the drawers or the linen closets and can find what it is I'm looking for. And contrary to what you've been reading about me, I am not neat freak, by any stretch of the imagination! I just have two kids under the age of five, so it's constant picking up. Whatever. I just get irritated seeing people being rewarded for bad habits and behavior. Especially when this "behavior" isn't being treated through therapy. But who am I to judge, right? Oh well. I hope they can keep it up. I really do. I hope they can prove me wrong.

Now, if you or anyone you know would like to donate new flooring to someone - I'll make myself available!!! LOL.

Wow, that's crazy! It's like Oprah (and GE etc) are enabling people to keep up their bad habits! (or in that case, I know it's more than a habit...but come on...). I 100% agree with you!

Oh and by the way to all you Moms of kids under five,I give you props for keeping a straightened up house! I only have a soon-to-be-hubby and DOGS and I still feel like I can never keep the dang house clean (or all the laundry or dishes washed)! I'm VERY worried about when I have children. LOL

I completely agree with you. And I have a solution for people who hoard: Move. Every few months. No joke. I moved six times is fourteen months. Not counting furniture, I can fit everything I own in two car loads. When you have to keep packing & unpacking stuff, it loses a lot of appeal, unless you really use it or it has *real* sentimental value. =P